1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a remote controller, a remote controlled electronic device, a remote controlling system for an electronic device and a remote controlling method for an electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a remote controller for controlling a plurality of electronic devices, a plurality of electronic devices controlled by a single remote controller, and a method for controlling the plurality electronic devices with the single remote controller.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, electronic devices like television, audio system and digital video disk player (DVDP) are controlled not only by the operation commands input through buttons provided thereon, but also by operations commands input via a remote controller. For the convenience it provides, the remote controller is widely used in almost all types of the electronic devices. Although the remote controller provides a user of the electronic device with the advantages such as improved mobility, there is an additional inconvenience when the user needs to use different types of electronic devices. That is, the user must to have remote controllers for the respective electronic devices in use.
An integrated type of remote controller, which is aimed at controlling a plurality of electronic devices, has been thus welcomed by many users as it could overcome the above-mentioned inconvenience. The currently available integrated remote controller adopts a system by which control codes of categories such as manufacturers or products are input via the remote controller, making the users select a control code corresponding to the electronic device the user possess. This system, however, is not very effective when it comes to controlling the same type of products.
The same types of electronic devices, which are manufactured by the same manufacturer, can be controlled by a single remote controller, as they share the same control code. A problem exists that the user often faces the situation in which other unintended devices are also controlled by the remote controller in addition to the device the user intends to control. For example, in the case that the user wants to control a certain TV of a multi-cube of plurality of stocked TVs in relation to the contrast or the channel, the user has to directly use the operation panel of the intended TV instead of using the remote controller or maintain the remote controller at a position closer to the intended TV before the control.
In an attempt to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience, a way of installing communication equipment like UART, or installing a separate control device for receiving the control commands from the remote controller and outputting the control commands to the intended TV, has been proposed. This proposal, however, also presents several problems, as it requires additional equipment other than the TV and the remote controller. As a result, users have to bear the higher costs for the additional equipments, while a lot more time and labor are consumed for the installation of such additional equipment.